1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to antigen-antibody conjugates and their therapeutic use.
2. Description of the Related Art
An autoimmune reaction is one mounted by the body against its own antigens. Certain specific diseases, notably rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus, are ascribed to "autoantigens". It is widely believed that a specific class of active T cell lymphocytes is produced which recognises autoantigens.
There is evidence that T lymphocytes play an essential role not only in the induction of the immune response but also in its regulation. Specifically the lymphokines produced by certain populations of T cells can antagonize the effects of other activated T cells and thus modify their action. It is possible, and indeed likely, that defects in this immunoregulatory mechanism give rise to at least some autoimmune diseases.
The lymphokines IL-4 (previously called B cell stimulatory factor) and IL-10 (previously called cytokine synthesis inhibitory factor) are produced by certain T cells, specifically those which, after activation, promote humoral immunity, and these lymphokines have an inhibitory effect on cell-mediated immune responses, T. R. Mosmann and R. L. Coffman, Ann. Rev. Immuonl. 7, 145 (1989) and M. D. Sadick et al., J. Exp. Med. 171, 115 (January 1990). Consequently, those autoimmune diseases in which the pathogenesis is cell-mediated (rheumatoid arthritis is a likely example) might be effectively controlled if a strategy can be devised for inducing regulatory T cells that produce IL-4 (and IL-10) in response to the autoantigen.
Several years ago, it was shown that mice immunized with polyclonal antibodies to IgD produce high levels of IL-4 (IL-10 was not assayed), F. D. Finkelman et al., J. Immunol. 137, 2878 (1986).